CINCINNATI Normally, you don't want to find yourself in agreement with Jeremy Shockey. The Giants' tight end, while a valuable player, is also something of a caveman. But on the subject of preseason football, Shockey's recent comment that two-a-day practices and four exhibition games are a "debacle" and "dangerous" is the only logical position to take.

Clinton Portis certainly isn't going to argue, not after suffering what still could be a significant shoulder injury making a tackle Sunday night.

The Redskins' season could be substantially changed by the Portis injury, and history tells us other teams are going to have similar August calamities, many of which could be avoided.